Archive for
November, 2007

Islamic group 877 Why Islam is organizing a cultural event, “In the Footsteps of Abraham (peace be upon him),” 5 p.m. Dec 9 at its center at 1320 Hamilton St., Somerset section.

Abraham, the father of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, is respected by all faiths and a role model for all of humanity, organizers said. In honor of his obedience to God, the event will mark the Muslim celebration of Eid-ul Adha, the festival of the sacrifice. Eid-ul Adha also marks the time of year when Muslims make the pilgrimage to Mecca or Hajj, the fifth pillar of Islam. Hajj and Eid-ul Adha are both a re-enactment of the tradition of Abraham, who was willing to sacrifice his son, Ismael, in obedience to God.
The event will look at the life of Abraham in a way that will have interest and benefit for people of all faith, organizers said. The free dinner and discussion while providing an opportunity for people of various faiths and backgrounds to interact.

"Since the monotheistic religions have a lot of similarities with each
other, this event has been designed to provide a forum to build bridges
between different communities," organizers said.

877 Why Islam is a division of the Islamic Circle of North America, one
of the country's largest, independent, grassroots non-profit Muslim
organizations. The group is dedicated to the dissemination of correct
information on Islam and Muslims.

For more info about "In the Footsteps of Abraham," call (877) WHY-ISLAM
or e-mail info@whyislam.org. For more information about the
organization, visit www.whyislam.org.

JAMAICA, New York (November 19, 2007) – On November 15, 2007, Bangladesh was hit by a devastating super cyclone SIDR, with the wind speed recorded at 150 mph. The death toll is continuously on the rise. So far, over 3000 people have perished in this cyclone. The rising tidal waves also destroyed standing crops and food storage and has effected all the food sources. Millions of people have lost their homes and are forced to take shelter under the open sky. There is a severe threat of disease and shortage in drinking water.Read more

A police plan to map out Muslim communities, a proposal that civil rights groups sharply criticized as racial and religious profiling, has been shelved, a police spokeswoman said Wednesday.

The LAPD planned to have its counterterrorism bureau identify Muslim enclaves to determine which might be likely to become isolated and susceptible to "violent, ideologically based extremism."

Several Muslim groups and the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California criticized the plan and sent a letter to Deputy Chief Michael P. Downing expressing their concerns.

"There was a clear message from the Muslim community that they were not comfortable with it. So we listened," said Mary Grady, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Police Department. She couldn't immediately say when the plan might resume.

Grady said the remaining part of the initiative, which includes
outreach efforts to strengthen ties with Muslim communities, would
continue, and police planned to meet with Muslim leaders Thursday.

There are an estimated 500,000 Muslims in Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties.

LOS ANGELES, California (November 13, 2007) – The Southern California Chapter of The Islamic Circle of North America wishes to convey it’s feeling of dismay with the Los Angeles Police Department’s announcement of mapping Muslim Communities. We request that the LAPD reconsider its strategy on approaching terrorism here in Southern California. We stand with other Muslim organizations such as the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California, MPAC, and CAIR in a united voice to denounce and reject the LAPD’s plan and any other plan to target Muslims as a community without a reasonable cause.Read more